Mrs. Bush's Remarks at a Luncheon for Spouses of the Diplomatic Corps
East Room

12:05 P.M. EST

MRS. BUSH: Welcome, everyone. Please be seated. I'm so happy you're here
today. Distinguished guests and dear friends, welcome to the White House.
I'm delighted to have this chance to host the husbands and wives of
Washington's diplomatic corps.

Abigail Adams, who was the first woman to get to live in the White House --
her husband, John Adams, was our second President -- and when she lived
here, the house had just almost been completed; not quite. This room
didn't have windows, and this was the room she hung her laundry in to dry.
(Laughter.)

But she also -- Abigail Adams also happened to be one of our earliest
diplomatic wives. In 1784, she joined her husband, John Adams, at his post
in Paris. Mrs. Adams worried that her Yankee tendency to say what she
thought could bring her new career to a quick end. But after a few days in
Paris, her own manners were the least of her concerns. Imagine her shock
at seeing women embrace strange men with kisses on each cheek! (Laughter.)

Mrs. Adams' first trips to the theater caused even greater alarm. This
minister's daughter "felt [her] delicacy wounded," she said, by the
dancers' short petticoats, and she was ashamed to look when they leapt and
exposed their garters. Abigail's fascination with the performances soon
overtook her distress. Her son, the man who would become America's sixth
President, was equally intrigued. As biographer James Grant writes,
"perhaps to convince himself that the performances were really as lewd as
they seemed to be, he attended them over and over." (Laughter.) He was
the other son of a President to become President.

More than two centuries after Mrs. Adams left Paris, the challenges faced
by diplomatic spouses remain. And those challenges include learning the
culture and customs of another nation, conversing fluently in a foreign
tongue, and many of you can sympathize with one of Abigail's chief
concerns: entertaining on a strict budget, mandated by the thrifty home
government.

All of you have met these challenges with grace. You've left the comforts
of home, you've opened your doors to countless guests, and you long ago
forgot the meaning of "business hours." Through it all, you have been
tireless advocates for the nations you call home.

Thank you for teaching Americans about the countries you represent. And
I'm sure you've learned a lot about the U.S., as well. Many of you have
taken part in the "Experience America" trips organized by my friend and our
Chief of Protocol, Nancy Brinker. These excursions have taken ambassadors
and their spouses to California, Colorado, Minnesota, Florida, and New York
City. Travelers visited the Caltech jet propulsion lab, met the founders
of Google, and rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

I might be a little biased, but I think Nancy has saved the best trip for
last. (Laughter.) In January, she'll lead a tour to Houston and Dallas.

And as you all know, President Bush and I will be heading to Dallas in
January, too. We'll return home with fond memories of our time with all of
you, and with very, very happy memories with trips to many of your nations.
Thank you for your friendship and thank you for your service. And it's a
pleasure to host you today for today's lunch. So bon appétit. (Applause.)